


i'll just stay a stranger (you can claim i'm somebody else)

by halftheway



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Campaign 2 (Critical Role), Developing Friendships, campaign 2 ep 2, i dont know what to tag this i just had to write about these scenes, molly pulls the Most bullshit out of his ass when mildly confronted with questions about his past, more lighthearted than the title and summary suggests, rewatched ep 2 and this whole scene cracked me up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:13:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22014667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halftheway/pseuds/halftheway
Summary: mollymauk tealeaf has a very strange relationship with the truth
Relationships: Fjord & Mollymauk Tealeaf, Jester Lavorre & Mollymauk Tealeaf, Mollymauk Tealeaf & Caleb Widogast
Kudos: 21





	i'll just stay a stranger (you can claim i'm somebody else)

**Author's Note:**

> hello here's another critical role fic posted in the middle of the night because that's what i do now! (title is from idwly by alex canon and treis)

Jester points out the dick she’d drawn on the table a few days ago to them, and Molly leans in to take a look.

“That’s really good,” Caleb comments, peering over Molly’s shoulder. “Have you always been an artist?”

“I have!” she exclaims. “I’ve been an artist since I was little.”

“You think that’s what they look like?” Molly asks absently, still staring at the drawing. Only a moment of silence passes before he catches himself, laughs and quickly brushes it off.

Caleb just nods and says, “That is what they look like.”

“I’ve seen a lot of dicks,” Jester interjects. “That is what most of them look like.”

Molly nods, already going back to his beer.

Caleb, bless him, tries to change the subject while Fjord chokes on his drink. He asks where they’re from, and Jester gets a bit offended when she thinks he’s assuming both tieflings are from the same place. Molly adds a few objections alongside her to participate, though he knows offense wasn’t Caleb’s intent.

“He’s purple!” Jester says indignantly.

“She’s blue,” Molly returns, enjoying this.

Jester nods, commenting on her rarity, but Caleb doesn’t seem to be listening. He eyes Molly for a moment and says “He’s kind of every color.”

Molly can’t help the surprised laugh that comes out, because it’s very true. He says as much as Jester giggles, and takes another sip of his beer. Getting back to Caleb’s original question, offense forgotten, Jester tells them she’s from Nicodranas, and when everyone turns to him expectantly Molly has his answer all ready.

The circus, he tells them, toying with his deck, and it’s not the truth, per se, but he’s not about to tell them more. Holding conversations with new people is always a balancing act, one Molly has perfected.

“So you’re a traveler then?” Caleb asks, and Molly nods.

“Oh yeah,” he says, “Quite awhile.”

“Since childhood, or...?” Caleb leans closer to Molly, who freezes.

“Long as I can reasonably remember,” he manages. He’s gotten very good at evading telling the truth without outright lying. He holds Caleb’s gaze as he says, “It’s been awhile.”

Caleb flushes and he moves out of Molly’s personal space. Interesting. He talks about the rest of the carnival folk a bit, always happy to chat about family, but Caleb just squints at him, rubbing a hand over his jaw. Molly doesn’t know how to read him yet, isn’t sure what to expect.

“You have a lot of scars,” he says finally, as Molly continues to stare him down. It’s not quite a question, and he appreciates that he’s been given the opportunity to leave it at that.

“Yep,” he says, "That's a funny story, actually."

Fjord speaks up for the first time since he’d inhaled some of his whiskey. “I like funny stories.”

“Me too,” says Molly. He gives Fjord a sweet smile, sharp teeth on display, and stares at him. Thankfully he seems to get that Molly is not telling him shit, and changes the subject.

Unfortunately that subject is him “doing cool shit with those swords”, and he fumbles for a way to avoid answering that too. The best he can come up with is “You buy a drink and we’ll see.”

He’s forgotten he hasn’t actually finished his first one, which Fjord helpfully points out. He drains it. “Mother always told me ‘never give away a story for free’”, he says, gesturing to the empty tankard.

The next morning, he and Fjord chat as they prepare for the day, and Fjord brings up what they owe the tavern.

“Molly, that’s your tab right?” he asks,

Molly points at him, winks, and says “All but the one you bought me.”

Fjord gives him a little look, but nods. “Yeah, except for that one.”

And Molly was only testing, really, he’s already paid the tab in full, just wanted to see how he’d react. He says “Ah, to be fair, I didn’t give you that story.”

Fjord nods again. “That’s true.”

Molly gives him a small smirk and goes about his business, taking his robe out from the closet and kneeling as he carefully unfolds it, revealing his swords. He does a little prayer over them and starts getting dresses as Fjord asks “Are you praying over your swords?”

“I am, of course,” Molly says, looking up at him innocently.

Fjord pauses, brow furrowed, and says, “Is that- part of your… thing?”

Externally, Molly doesn’t react, but all the questions he’s been fielding are rather tiring. “You seem honest,” he begins, pretending to appraise Fjord, to hesitate.

“I try to be,” Fjord replies, and Molly almost feels sorry for the bullshit he’s about to tell him.

Something about an ice demon and a royal family, this time. He tells the truth about the blood, because if he’s to stick with these people for long that question will be unavoidable. Fjord seems to buy it, and Molly giggles to himself as he walks downstairs.

He eats a quickly, leaves a note for Yasha with the barkeep. The chances of her coming back soon are slim, he knows, but he does it anyway. He’d say it’s what she’d do for him, but he knows better. She leaves seemingly at random, often suddenly, and Molly doesn’t ask questions. Sometimes it’s better to be left in the dark. But he always welcomes her back with open arms, everyone in the circus does, and that’s enough.

They talk about changing appearances so they can sneak out, and he’d laugh if he were in different company.

“Well,” he says, gesturing to himself. It would be hard to hide… well, everything about him. Horns, tail, colorful eyes and skin, but more to the point he’s just not interested in changing anything. This body is his own, and he’s worked hard to make it one he’s happy to live in. “I mean, look at me.”

Molly rummages through his bag for a moment. “I do have a disguise kit,” he offers. “I look like what I’m going to look like. But the rest of you,” he says, holding out the kit, “could do a little work.”

They set to work discussing everyone’s disguises, and he points at Caleb and grins. “We could just shower this one, that’d be enough.” He takes his deck out and fidgets with them idly, delighting in Caleb’s little smile. There’s work to be done, and his family’s name to clear, but even so, he enjoys this.

**Author's Note:**

> this show has possessed me i cannot stop writing about mister tealeaf. please let me know if y'all want more cause lord knows i have it


End file.
